The Babylonian Talmud in its cultural context

Abstract

The Babylonian Talmud is a foundational work for the development of Jewish law and a centerpiece for the study of rabbinic literature. One of the fastest growing trends in the academic study of the Talmud is the contextualization of this text against the background of Greco–Roman, Sasaniageneration of Talmudic studiesn Persian, and Zoroastrian, as well as Syriac and Christian works. This article surveys the history of the study of the Babylonian Talmud in light of a variety of cultural contexts and provides a close look at some of the major products of this line of research.